mFrame

Congrats! Hopefully she knows about your tank addiction.

I have almost exactly the same setup, and here are two things I notice: 1) When Mike says the baffles are backwards, I think he means that you have the tank situated backwards. Currently you have the overflow on the right (three baffles) the return in the middle (single wall) and what appears to be a fuge on the left. Instead, you want: the overflow (single wall) fuge in the middle (three baffles) and then return. Most of your bubbles come from the overflow, so I've found that running the overflow into a filter sock and then over the single wall eliminates most of my overflow bubbles. The trip through the fuge with macro-algae gets rid of more, then the pass through the bubble trap eliminates most of the rest. (picture of my setup attached - you can see the filter sock on the left of the picture but not the actual overflow line). You'll also notice that my return line has a T with valve that allows me to divert water back into the fuge section. Like you I also had problems matching the pump return rate to the overflow drain rate, this valve allows me to adjust the return rate until it is just right. 2) I have the same mag return pump, and notice that you are not using the mag foam filter that PBNJ mentions. He's right, it's a large foam block that fits on the intake of the Mag, it'll trap any remaining bubbles and keep them from being sucked into the pump and returned to your tank. This seems to be the only piece of equipment you're missing. I got mine at the Aquadome for about $15, you'll want to buy 2 as it occasionally has to be cleaned and it's easier to swap them out than try to keep reusing the same one mid-water change. 3) I also have the same corner overflow as you and tried using the Durso overflow configuration you have. I keep getting a "toilet flush" surge sound from it, so I setup a Hofer Gurglebuster Hoffer gurglebuster. The most difficult thing setting up the Durso is getting the air volume right (as you've seen). The Hofer is much easier to control. and can be made with <$5 in parts. Good luck, and let me know if any of this helped!

Pm'd

I'm trying to simplify my water change process, but want something that looks nice in my laundry room (where my RO/DI connection is). I'm thinking of getting a cart similar to this: with a water container on top. Anyone know a good inexpensive source for carts like this that can take the weight (approx 80lbs of new water). I'd like to be able to have it on top of the cart so that I can gravity feed replacement water into my sump, while having a container on the bottom shelf for dirty water (approx 40 lbs). This will let me fill the tank in my laundry, mix the salt there, then wheel it to my two tanks for the water change.

Don't remember the name. I'll have to look it up and let you know What kind of star fish are those on your picture? Red Knobby starfish. I've got an extra one if anyone is looking.

You gotta love the pic of the clownfish and RBTA in the jar.

There are still plenty of icecap ballasts and products around, you just won't have the warranty support that a new product has. Of course, you won't have the cost of a new product either. I'm not sure who told you that T5s would not be sufficient to grow corals. There is a reason T5s displaced VHO, they are more energy efficient and provide plenty of light. For a 120g setup, you may want to go Metal Halide (MH) if you are trying to grow SPS, but for softies and anemones your T5s should be ok. That said, one of the nice things about the icecap ballast is that you can power VHO, PC, or T5 bulbs, so you can mix and match as you like. What are you wanting to stock your tank with?

Yep, the ammonia indicates you're still cycling. Hold off on adding any more fish or life until your cycle completes and you'll be set to move on later.

Welcome aboard! Most of us made the transition from FW, so feel free to ask any questions you might have and read, read, read! What kind of setup do you have?

Take a look at our Local Fish Store (LFS) map under resources: http://www.austinreefclub.com/page/LFS-map

bump, $400

I've got an icecap 660 running (2) 48" T5 actinics, bulbs, and (2)250w magnetic ballasts powering single ended 14k metal halides. Canopy for sale as well. Let me know if you're interested. Mike

It also depends on what you're using it for. If you're trying to cultivate pods for a mandarin or over fish that like live food, it serves as a great protected refuge that slowly "leaks" the pods into the tank for consumption. Your live rock in the tank generally gets picked over pretty well.

Man, I feel for you. I had a mated pair of Osc clowns and a mated pair of Clarkiis in two separate tanks. I lost my female Osc and male Clarkii in the same week, not sure what killed the Osc but the Clarkii jumped. Both pair had been laying eggs regularly. I wanted to get rid of the Clarkii's, so I haven't tried to pair my female back up. My osc, however, I immediately got a similar sized osc. Big mistake. My male decided he wanted to be dominant (female) and beat the holy crap out of the new one, nearly killing it. After about two weeks the dominance seemed settled and the newcomer healed up nicely. Now my former male is the female, the new one is male, and they're hosting in my bta. No sign of eggs yet but they're definitely paired. So, that said, my advice is not to worry about timing for getting a new mate, but worry more about size. Since you lost a male, make sure that your replacement comes from a tank with many clowns in it and that your candidate is one of the smaller ones, which should insure it's male. Get him home quick and introduce them. Make sure there are tons of hiding places in the tank, don't freak out if there seems to be a bit of violence, and everything should work itself out. Keep in mind that any clown left alone will assume dominance and become female, so any clown you add after should be smaller. When they're similar size they fight it out, when one is significantly larger than the other it's usually less of a contest. Make sure to do the changes you discussed to prevent it happening again, and good luck!

Not all wrasses need sand. My mystery wrasse is one of my fav fish and he does fine with the coarse grain and tons of caves in the rock. I've never seen him try to burrow.

Pm'd

Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae) Small: ¾“-1½“ $ 7.99 Fluorescent Tip Torch Coral(Euphyllia glabrescens) - 2-3 Heads: $34.99 Purple Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris decora) $23.99

Sorry I didn't make it but my present should have arrived by now. I figured you didn't want me bringing my flu virus with me. Hope you had a good time, and congratulations!

I'm in for at least $50

They fit T5 HO and NO lamps.: endcaps standoffs icecap 660 (2) 54w actinic bulbs Basically getting all this for less than half the price of new. The ballast was sent in to be serviced when I bought it and they ended up replacing it, so it is like new.

Includes (4) waterproof endcaps and standoffs and (2) used 48" actinic bulbs with purchase. The Ice Cap ballasts supports the lighting of VHO (1500ma), HO (800ma), or standard (425ma) lamps in any combination. IceCap 660 Powers up to 440 watts. You can run 2,3 or 4 VHO bulbs off one ballast as long as you do not exceed maximum wattage. This ballast will also run PowerCompacts. Aluminum heat sink included Protective shut-down circuitry Soft Start technology Ballast/ Lamp Type # of Lamps Lamp Length Configurations VHO, HO & Standard 2 16' 2x8, 6, 5, 4, 3 or 2 Feet VHO, HO & Standard 3 15' 3x5,4, 3 or 2 Feet VHO, HO & Standard 4 16' 4x4,3 or 2 Feet P.C.* or 4 Pin Compact up to 4 55 watts or less P.C.* or 4 Pin Compact up to 4 96 watts or less

I'd be willing to go halfsies if someone wants to split it with me.

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Fenner's response to Snorkel Bob's article http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/distortions-snorkle-bobs-dark-hobby-commentary

Awesome links, thanks!